Love Undying
by The Sharra
Summary: Love, hate! Good, evil! It's up to five self-inserts, their animal guardians, and buttloads of RW fandom clichés to save the WORLD from the Rotisserie-Club Dynasty. Written with Amanda Swiftgold.
1. Prologue: The Price of Forbidden Love

Hi ya'll. Swiftgold here. Sharra and I were messing around on IMs and came up with the idea for this fic. And, unlike all the other ideas, decided to write it right away. This fic is _not_ what it seems, believe you me. We'd love to hear what you think! 

"Love Undying"  
By She-Ronin and Swiftgold 

Prologue - The Price of Forbidden Love 

_Kansas, Earth, 1991_

Tears trickled from two pairs of eyes, one's blue, the other's silvery-violet. Grief filled their valiant hearts, and they felt as if they were being torn in two. But they knew this was for the best. Thus was the price of forbidden love.  
The two mysterious figures stood in the shade of a crooked tree in the early morning light. In one of their arms lay a small infant. The baby had a thatch of curly blonde hair and green eyes. As she gurgled and cooed, she chewed on the small stuffed chicken in her mouth. She was blissfully unaware of the change that was about to occur. She simply remained in her own happy little baby world, wrapped in a soft pastel blanket, snug in those warm arms.  
The other person had a squirming toddler in his arms. She was giggling and pulling his hair, making him wince. There was a silky patch of spiky blonde hair upon her head, and her green eyes were sweet and guileless. She gave him a smile, displaying a few baby teeth.  
"My babies," the other one wept. "I can't do it! I just can't!"  
The other shifted the toddler's position and moved to take his companion in his arms. "Shhh, my love," were the soft, calming words. The person soothingly stroked the blonde hair that had been passed down to the two girls. "Don't cry. Think of Amanda and Emily. If we love them, we must do this. If the Dynasty arises again--"  
"I don't care!" the person sobbed, clutching the baby closer. "We're their parents!"  
"Hush," came the gentle whisper. "Hush, my love. Perhaps one day they will return to us."  
"One day," the other said softly. "Yeah..." _Quickly, before I lose my nerve..._ Bending down, the person kissed the baby on the head. The other did the same after freeing their hair from the toddler's grasp.  
Silently stealing forward in the shadows, the two crept up toward the building nearby. Doing their best to keep the steps from creaking, they stood on the porch. The older of the two knelt, standing the toddler on the planks. "Be good, you hear?" he told her, patting her head lightly. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a chain on which two pendants hung, and fastened it around her neck. The child blinked at the necklace and then at him as he stood and turned to the blonde behind him. "It's time"  
"I can't please" Their eyes met, and after a moment of anguish the baby joined her sister on the porch.   
They left the two little children upon the doorstep of the farmhouse. One of them knocked loudly, then grabbed the other by the wrist and took off running. "Ah?" the older child said, watching them leave with a surprised expression in her eyes.  
The baby began to cry, not liking the cold stoop. She wasn't like that for long, however, for the door swung open, and there was a startled exclamation from a woman. Her long, straight brown hair swept down near the planks as she crouched down to calm the toddler and gain her trust.   
The two watched from the shadows of the same crooked tree around the corner as the children then were scooped into the woman's arms and carried inside the house. The screen door swung shut, and they were gone.  
Hidden as they were, no onlooker could have been able to tell who or what the two people were, but they would have sensed the aura of sadness coming from them. The figure of the one that had been against leaving the children sank to its knees, sobbing and inconsolable. "My babies" came the hoarse whisper. "Goodbye."  
"Goodbye," the other whispered as well. "May we meet again someday." 


	2. Part One: Arrival

Swiftgold: Well, here's the first chapter. Not all is revealed, but we're getting there. Enjoy! 

"Love Undying"  
By Swiftgold and She-Ronin 

Chapter One - Arrival 

_April, 2006_

The blonde gripped the arms of the airplane seat so hard her fingers turned white. Her green eyes were wide with terror and she looked as if she were about to scream. This was her first time flying, and not only was she afraid the plane was going to crash, she was afraid of how damn fast the thing went.  
"Lemme off!" She tried to unbuckle the belt, but the young woman next to her pushed her back down in the seat.  
"Sit down, Sharra. You're disturbing everyone."  
"But I don't wanna go to Japan anymore, Swiftgold!" Sharra wailed. "Planes are bad! They're... bad!"  
Swiftgold rolled her eyes tolerantly and shook her head, causing her spiky blond hair to wave slightly. Her sister had arranged this whole trip, and now she didn't want to go? Well, tough. She was the one that wanted to go in search of their roots, and she was the one that had forced her to spend hours a day studying Japanese so they could speak it fluently within two weeks. Not only that, Sharra had depleted her own large bank account to pay for first class tickets.  
So much for college tuition.  
She plugged her ears as the plane began to take off. Shortly after, Sharra shrieked loudly. It was clearly audible even then. There was a ringing sound in her ears.  
"Lemme offffff!"  
Several people on the plane turned around to stare at the two girls, and Swiftgold sank deep into her seat, a fiery flush suffusing her face. Maybe a hole would swallow her up right now, but it was unlikely.  
Finally, Swiftgold had enough of her screaming. She lurched over and clapped a hand over her sister's mouth. A muffled exclamation came from the sixteen-year-old, before she narrowed her eyes to slits and licked Swiftgold's palm.   
"Ewww!" she gasped, jerking her hand away and wiping it off on the leg of Sharra's jeans.  
"Hey!" Sharra protested.  
Her sister gave her nasty look, and gestured over to the large carrier by the window seat of the plane. "Go play with your little feathered friends in there."  
Sharra stuck her tongue out at Swiftgold, then opened the carrier door. A loud cluck and a couple of quacks were heard as a rooster poked its head out of the carrier and hopped to the plane floor. Two ducks, one white, the other a speckled black, were quick to follow.  
The ducks balked at jumping down, and the white one quacked irately. _Go on,_ she told them mentally. _It's not far._  
_No! Lulu will land on me! _came the obstinate retort from Houdini, who eyed the larger duck warily.  
Sharra had discovered at an early age that she could talk to animals, and they would talk back to her. It was part of the reason she loved the farm birds so much - they were a lot more interesting than the snotty cats, for one. She had kept this fact to herself, however, even from her sister, for fear she would be called insane. It certainly _sounded_ insane.  
Swiftgold eyed the White Leghorn rooster in disdain. She knew what he truly was - a vicious monster out for blood. He cocked his head at her, then flapped up onto the back of the seat she was sitting on. She yelped.  
Sharra, meanwhile, was taking each duck out in turn and setting them down on the floor. They quacked some more and wandered out into the aisles, checking things out curiously. _Watch out for stewardesses!_ she called after them anxiously.   
"I didn't mean 'let them out'," Swiftgold sighed.  
"No one asked you, doofnoid," Sharra said absently, using her own special insult, before reaching into the carrier. "Where is she... ah ha!" She triumphantly removed a bantam hen from the carrier. The chicken looked more like a feather boa than a bird. She settled the chicken on her lap, stroking the fluffy head. "Poor Fluffy Chicken, I don't think she likes planes either."  
Swiftgold reached under her seat and pulled out a large sketchpad and a pencil. She tried to think of something to draw, but nothing would come. Turning to look at the other passengers, she flushed as she saw one of the ducks wander too close to an enthralled child. Inquisitive hands reached out for feathers...  
"Hey! Don't do that!" Sharra shrieked, clutching the chicken and lunging up before realizing the seatbelt was still on. Falling back into the seat with an 'oof', she flung it off and stood up again. "Get away from the duck!" The child was simultaneously pulled back by his glaring mother, and she sat down again with a satisfied huff.  
There was a moment of silence. Then, suddenly, the rooster jumped onto Swiftgold's head and puffed out his chest, letting out a long, loud crow. The man in front of them woke up from his nap violently, screaming. Once again, everyone turned to stare at her. Except, this time, she had a chicken on her head.  
"Get Erwin off" Swiftgold said tersely, wincing as the rooster began to pull at her hair with his beak, "before I find some Shake n' Bake."  
Sharra's eyes were round as she swung her hand at the rooster, who went flapping down onto the carrier. "Don't even _joke_ about that!"  
Swiftgold muttered something nasty under her breath about weird farm animals. Two ducks waddled past. Lulu - the white one - first, then Houdini - the black one. She had no problem with Fluffy Chicken and the ducks - it was Erwin that she hated.  
Leaning back in her seat, she reached up and fingered the pendant she wore on the chain around her neck. It and the one her sister had were all they had left of their parents, who had left them on the doorstep of a farmhouse when they were little. Despite how hard she tried, she couldn't remember anything about them.  
She was a little unsure about this quest of Sharra's. Did she even want to meet the parents that had abandoned her? _Still, they must have had their reasons. You shouldn't hate the deadbeats until you meet them... er, wait... _She sighed internally, glancing over at the other girl.  
Looking out the window, Sharra stared at the many clouds. This wasn't so bad... as long as it didn't crash into the ocean or something. And then they would be in Japan and find their birth parents. She wondered what they would be like. She often pictured them, a perfect, beautiful couple, but missing the children they'd had to give up. The small chicken in her lap clucked quietly, snuggling down in her lap as if it were a nest.  
"Look, Swiftplatinum! You can see shapes in the clouds! There's a shoe!"  
Swiftgold peered out the window. That sun outside was way too bright, and she only looked for a quick moment. "That one looks like a chicken dinner - what Erwin will be if you call me that again." She smiled smugly, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in the chair.  
Sharra slumped down, sulking. _Hey, Erwin,_ she thought to the bird. _She just insulted you._  
Erwin clucked loudly, lunging at her. _The hell? It's almost as if that... that drumstick understood me._ Swiftgold dodged his beak, barely. She sighed. It was going to be a loonnnggg flight. 

***** 

He chuckled wickedly, cat-like eyes narrowing. Watching the two walk down the hallway departing the plane, he remained hidden in the shadows. His gaze narrowed in on the girl with the long golden waves. She was beautiful - a goddess.  
At last, the two chosen ones had arrived. Now, they only had to find the others. Soon, his master would rule the world, as it was meant to be  
"And you, my dear," he whispered to himself, "will be mine." 

***** 

Many grueling hours of airplane food and restless poultry later, the plane had come to rest in the Tokyo airport. Both girls were nearly dead on their feet, waiting listlessly by the baggage claim for their suitcases to come around.  
Sharra had the carrier with the birds in it in her hands, continually adjusting her sliding carry-on bag. Occasionally, an outraged quack, squawk, or cluck would come from the carrier. Being as tired as she was, she kept jolting the carrier around and upsetting the poultry within.  
She watched in interest as the bags came round and round and round. "Bet it'd be fun to ride on that thing," she mumbled.  
Her sister gave her an odd look before letting out one hell of a yawn and swaying a little on her feet. The bags came around once, and she realized too late. Cursing tiredly, she waited for them to come around again. She missed them another two times and Sharra let out a weary snicker. Jet lag was obviously murder on the reflexes.  
As the bags came around yet again, Swiftgold hauled them off the belt and onto a small folding dolly. She rolled the small, wheeled one with a handle over to her sister.  
"Whadda we do now?" Sharra yawned, looking around at all the people finding their own things. There were so many of them... constantly, the carrier was being jostled, and the birds were becoming irate.  
_They're bumping us! Make them stop!  
He's pecking me! Tell him to quit!  
I'm hungry!_  
Sharra sighed and looked at her sister. "The birds are getting upset! Just listen to them! All these people keep bumping into them! God, don't they have any respect for poultry?"  
"Obviously not. Now, let's rent a car," she replied, "and get to the hotel, and sleep. Sleep, ooh, sounds so good"  
Sharra shrugged and twisted about in a vain attempt to get her bag back up on her shoulder where it belonged. "Rent us a minivan and I'll kiillll you!" she trilled. Minivans had to be the most disgusting piece of machinery in existence, in her humble opinion. They were so big and fat looking...  
The two started off toward the rental car counter. Fifteen minutes later, they were driving away from the airport - _on the wrong side of the road! _Swiftgold thought in horror, gripping the wheel tensely - in what Sharra had termed cheerfully as 'a complete piece of crap.' The younger girl had laboriously rolled down the window of the loud, sputtering green pickup and was enjoying the feel of the wind as it flapped her hair around.  
"It doesn't even have a location guidance system, or an online map!" Swiftgold complained loudly over the roar of the engine. "What is this, a '93?! Good thing I printed out directions to the hotel from the terminal."  
The car traveled down the road, every so often jumping slightly. Each time this happened, the two girls would bounce into the air. Sharra seemed to be enjoying it. Swiftgold, in turn, looked annoyed. While they were sitting in the turn lane, Sharra suddenly gasped and sat up straight in shock, running a hand through her windblown blond hair. "Ack! I forgot!"  
She glanced over at her anxiously. "What? What did you forget?"  
Bending over to peer under the blanket that protected the birds from the wind, she replied, "Our hotel doesn't allow pets, I know it. It's too high-class."  
"Oops, huh? Whatcha gonna do with the birds now?" Swiftgold sounded a bit too smug for her tastes. She repressed the urge to whap her upside the head. Tempting... maybe later. Right now, the fate of her poultry rested in her hands.  
She thought a moment. "Sneak them in, of course."  
"But how...?" Swiftgold wondered.  
Her sister grinned proudly. "Heh! The suitcases."  
"Eeeh?"  
"Put 'em in the suitcases," she explained patiently and slowly, as if speaking to a small child.  
For a moment, she was sure that Sharra was joking. But by the look on her face, that apparently wasn't true. "Ohh... lord." _Why couldn't I have a nice,_ normal _sister?!_ she thought plaintively.  
Defensively, she said, "It could WORK - if we hurried and drilled holes in the bags."  
"You aren't drilling holes in my bags!" she said immediately. "But you better do something; we're almost there, and I'm not driving around looking for a duck-friendly hotel."  
She stuck out her tongue and executed a perfect raspberry. "Be that way, then, _sister dear_." After a pause, she muttered, "We could always leave them just a little unzipped..."  
Swiftgold felt a headache coming on. "They'll make such a mess in the bags... you know how poultry is. It'll be... ewww..."  
Sharra pouted. "Don't be such a wuss, Swifty. I can't leave them out in the car all night!"  
"And why not, pray tell?"  
"Because. Erwin doesn't like to be in the carrier. And Fluffy Chicken needs some place to nest for the night so she can lay her eggs. You know, those little blue eggs that are considered delicacies and make a great breakfast? We can't eat those if she lays them in the carrier!"  
She sighed and shook her head. "Eheheheheh. First off, we have room service and won't need to cook breakfast, and second"  
"Second?" she inquired.  
"Second hrm ah"  
"Lessee here..." Sharra began to rummage through Swiftgold's bag, tossing this and that from the bag.   
"Hey!" she protested. "What are you doing with my clothes?!"  
"We're going to put the birds in your bag," Sharra explained patiently.  
"Why _my_ bag?"  
"Yours is bigger."  
"So you're going to ruin it?! Good lord"  
Her sister grunted. At that moment, Swiftgold made a sharp turn into the hotel parking lot. The motion caused a lacy bra Sharra had been about to toss back go flying out the window. The tires of the car behind them squealed as it swerved sharply to avoid the airborne lingerie.  
"Oops heh."  
"SHARRAAAA!!"  
Sharra winced at her sister's shrill tone of voice. She had been hoping she wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, she had. _Damn._ "It's not my fault!" she said defensively, throwing the last garment into the back. "You were the one that-"  
Swiftgold pulled into a parking space, silently fuming. She banged her head on the steering wheel a few times, causing the horn to go off.  
Shrugging, Sharra opened the carrier and picked up Erwin, who was flapping about. A white wing hit her in the face and she winced. _I'm going to put you in the suitcase now... so don't freak out on me, kay, bucko?  
Noooo! Don't put me in there!_  
She ignored the rooster as she set him down gently in the bag. He squawked and clucked. A moment later, the large white Lulu landed on top of him with a quack. There was some more flapping and squawking, followed by another quack.  
"Sorry bout that, Lulu-duck," she mumbled, before picking up the smaller Houdini and setting him down gently. Peering down into the suitcase, she saw that they were all more or less on top of one another. They looked scrunched up and unhappy.  
She winced. "It won't be for long, guys." Fluffy Chicken joined them a moment later and she quickly zipped up the suitcase almost entirely. _Now, you all be quiet.  
Let me out! It's dark in here!  
Get your beak out of there!  
Waaaahh! He's smooshing meeee! _  
Blocking out the sound of their voices - _that_ had been a useful skill to learn - she looked up as Swiftgold cranked the truck into park. "Let's hurry and get in so they get can get out."  
Quickly cramming the rest of her things into Sharra's suitcase and the little extra space in the carry-ons, she hopped out of the vehicle to join the other girl. They walked quickly up to the hotel entrance, having avoided the valet parking. It would have seemed somewhat absurd, anyway, pulling up to this place in the old rental truck.   
They walked up to the front desk. "Hello, welcome to Tokyo Towers," the receptionist said with a huge sugary grin.  
_If she only knew what was in my luggage, _Sharra thought wickedly. _She wouldn't be smiling then._  
"Um, hi. I have a reservation," Swiftgold said, thinking the exact same thing. The woman took down her name and handed her the key. "Thanks," she said, turning to leave.  
In a soppy tone, she informed them, "The bellhop will be right by to take your bags."  
"Oh, no," Sharra said immediately, "we'll carry them, thank you."  
"But--" A suddenly muffled squawking from inside the suitcase cut off the receptionist. "What's that?"  
_Shut up, guys, fast!_ she told the birds.  
Erwin's voice sounded dark and conniving. It sent shudders down the anxious Sharra's spine. _You'd better watch your pillow tonight, Sharra!  
Do that and I'm cutting down your feed!_ There was a discontented grumbling as she turned her attention back to the situation at hand. Would they be able to pull it off? Could they actually get away with it?  
The older girl grimaced. "Oh, it's just my stomach," she said with a fake smile. "Airplane food. You know."  
"Oh, of course! I understand," the woman said, sickeningly bright. Both had to repress the urge to hit her over the head with their bags.  
Swiftgold quickly turned and ushered her sister into the elevator at maximum speed. As soon as the doors had slid closed, she slumped back against the wall, eyes raised to the heavens. "Chicken sandwich..." she managed to get out.  
"Hey, it's not their fault. You'd complain too if you were crammed in a suitcase. How would you like to be stuck in there?"  
She smirked slightly. "I meant more that I'd like one, but I don't know if you can even get one in Japan. Still, since we have our own supply..." she teased wickedly.  
Sharra grinned. "Erwin might have something to say about that. He'd whip your butt. Let's face it, Erwin's buff, man."  
Swiftgold rolled her eyes. "He's a chicken, dammit. What's he going to do? Make a mess on my pillow?"  
"You'd be surprised," came the vague reply.  
The elevator dinged as it stopped on the fourteenth floor. "I'm sure he'd think up something really awful, Sharrmander."   
"DON'T call me Sharrmander!"  
"Eheeh. Sharrizard. Sharrmeleon! I choose you!"  
"Quit it!"  
They entered their room, 14G, and she dropped her bags on the floor as Sharra gently set the suitcase with the birds in it on the nearest bed, glaring at the smirking Swiftgold. _I'm opening it now,_ she informed them.  
_It's about time!_ came Fluffy Chicken's cry.  
Lulu snapped, _Shut up! You're the one on the top near the airhole!_  
Quickly she unzipped the case and stood back. The four birds almost exploded out of the bag, like doves released at a wedding. Feathers flew in a maelstrom as they landed across the neat pastel bedspread and on the floor.  
Swiftgold gave her sister a flat stare. "That's your bed," she said.  
Sharra shrugged, then reached down to pet Erwin. The chicken snapped and her and she jerked her hand away with a curse. "Damn bird!"  
Her sister smirked, then flopped down on her bed. She felt dirty, sweaty, and grimy from the long trip. A shower would sure hit the spot right about now... yeah. Shower, bed. Best get in there before Sharra too, since she had the annoying habit of taking a bath and then taking a shower immediately afterwards.  
"Gonna go hop in the showa," Swiftgold said in a singsong voice, leaping from the bed in a quick burst of energy.  
Sharra was too busy eyeing Erwin to pay attention. The chicken looked as angry as a bird possibly could, and he was strutting around on the bed making warbling sounds. Whenever she tried to pet him, the bird would lunge at her. Finally, she just gave up and sat down on the end of the bed, sulking.  
Sounds of water filled the room a moment later.  
Swiftgold sighed happily as the water rained down on her. Great water pressure, and the shower had plenty of room. Much nicer than the one at the farmhouse. The bathrooms there had been all crowded, considering they had been raised by a commune of hippies. There was always someone wanting to shower, take a bath, brush their teeth...  
If anyone wondered about her odd name, she had always explained that the hippies had given it to her. It wasn't anything weird _there_. It had been pretty crowded but rather a fun place to grow up.   
She shook her head and distributed the flowery smelling shampoo throughout her short hair, scrubbing away all the dirt and grime left from the flight. Humming to herself, she dipped her head under the water and began to rinse her hair.  
Something brushed against her leg, once, twice, and she frowned, glancing down. Then she screamed.  
Lulu and Houdini were waddling about happily in the shower, enjoying the rain of water upon their feathers. A couple of happy quacks went up.  
"GET OUT!!" she screamed.  
Lulu looked up at her, twitching his tail. He quacked at her, then flapped hard, sending ducky water flying all over her legs. "GET OUTTTT!!" she screamed again, flinging a bath puff at them. "GET OUT NOW!!"  
The two ducks pointedly ignored her and continued with their splashing. Furious, she kicked at them. They quacked and flew out of the shower, wings flapping about as they dashed out of the bathroom.  
She gritted her teeth and muttered a few nasty things under her breath about perverted poultry. Quickly, she finished her shower and left the bathroom, intent on doing some damage.   
Sharra looked up at her from her position on her bed, where Fluffy Chicken lay on the pillow beside her head. "Wha's wrong with you?"  
Swiftgold glared at her furiously, tapping her foot on the plush carpet in agitation. "Your perverted ducks! They were in there... LOOKING at me! KEEP THEM OUT!!"  
Her sister snickered, winking at the ducks, which were lying on the end of the bed, wagging their little duck tails. "Not my fault you didn't shut the bathroom door, Swifty. S'your own fault."  
She ground her teeth in outrage. "They were IN there. WITH me!"  
"And?"  
Swiftgold snarled at her and climbed into bed. "Just keep them away from me and no one will get hurt."  
"Fiiine. Pissy!" she retorted, adjusting her blankets. Her sister reached over and turned off the light, snuggling with the other pillow in her arms. All the night noises of the city outside began to fade away as she drifted off  
"Goodnight, Erwin." A loud 'BAWK!' was heard from the floor at the foot of the beds. "Goodnight, Lulu, goodnight Houdini." The ducks quacked contentedly, wherever they were in the dark room. "Goodnight, Flu-"  
She sat up straight in the bed. "Sharra! Go to sleep!!"  
There was just a quiet snicker in response, and she fell back onto the mattress, slamming the pillow over her head. Tomorrow would bring the final stage in the search for their parents, but she wasn't sure she really wanted it to come. 

* * *

Sharra: Well now, I hope you know that this is meant to be cliché. ^_^ Those birds are my real pets, too. Hehehe... just wait till the next chapter... 


	3. Part Two: Identity Crisis

Swiftgold: We finally got it done! I think you're probably going to get a kick out of this one... heh!  
Sharra: Beware, there is a mention of a pornographic food product in this chapter. It might rot your impressionable young minds. When you find it... close your eyes. 

"Love Undying"  
By Swiftgold and She-Ronin 

Chapter Two - Identity Crisis 

Morning came bright and early. Too early, in Sharra's opinion. She swatted at the hands shaking her. They were like flies buzzing around her head, annoying and constant.  
"Storm the fort, General Washington! Damned Lobsters" she mumbled, burying her face in her pillow. Beside her head, Fluffy Chicken cheeped.  
Swiftgold stared down at her sister, blinking. "Eheh. Uh Sharr?"  
"Damn you, Cornwallis"  
She stood there for a moment, running a hand through her short hair. "Hrm okay"  
Suddenly, Sharra sat up screaming, "ARNOLD!! NOOO!!" She looked around the room, eyes wild and glazed. Sweat stuck to her brow, and her chest was heaving. "Heh a dream it was only a dream" She shook herself, then peered up at Swiftgold. "Mornin', Swifty. How goes it?"  
Her sister was looking at her as if she had grown three heads. "Fiiiinnnee..."  
"Okay then. You ready to rock, girlfriend?" She hopped out of bed, hair tousled and nightshirt wrinkled. She had a few feathers struck in her hair from where Fluffy Chicken had lain in the night. Swiftgold gestured to her head, and she stared at her blankly for a moment before feeling the top of her head. "What?"  
"Your head."  
"What about my head?"  
"There's something on it."  
"Like what?"  
"Feathers."  
"Oh." She plucked a few downy feathers from her head, then flicked them away from her.  
From the pillow, Fluffy Chicken clucked softly, preening. _You look better with them, Sharra dear._  
_I need a new boa, Fluff Bird - keep it up._  
Swiftgold plopped down on the bed where she had been engaged in sorting out their clothes. "You gonna take a shower or something?" she asked, derailing her train of thought. "I'm ordering breakfast in a minute."  
"Yups! Order for me too," she said, poking through her bag for shower essentials.  
"Of course. What do you want?" She picked up the telephone and dialed room service.  
Sharra careened into the bathroom, flicking on the light and setting the bottles on the counter. She'd always had great skin, but some of those lotions and things smelled really nice. "How bout... hmm... pancakes, and eggs!"  
"Kay," Swiftgold replied, repeating that into the phone. "And some donuts, and sausage and bacon, please."  
"Waffles!" her sister called over the sound of the water as she turned on the faucet. "And muffins too! Hot chocolate, and coffee. I'm really hungry. Mmm coffee. Hope they send up creamer too."  
Adding that to the order, she also tacked on milk and juice. "This is gonna be expensive," she muttered. "Oh well. I'm hungry too." Standing and looking over the clothes again, she selected some to wear that day. She wanted to look impressive.  
Swiftgold frowned as she looked around the room again. "Oh crap in a hole!" she cried. "Room service is gonna see these damn birds!" She scowled at Erwin, who had woken her and probably half the hotel up with his crowing. Sharra was too used to it and as usual slept right through it.  
Flapping a towel at the ducks, she chased them toward the open bathroom door. _She won't care, and it'll keep em out of sight. Let her see what it's like,_ she chuckled. Picking up Fluffy Chicken off the pillow, she held the hen out at arm's length, depositing her in the large sink. "There, it's a nest," she muttered. "Stay."  
"What was that?!" Sharra hollered from the shower.  
"Nothing!" she called back. "Just cleaning up after your pets so we don't get kicked out when room service comes!" Sweeping up the phone book, she took a couple steps toward Erwin, grinning evilly. "Shoo!" she cried, doing her best to herd him toward the bathroom. The disgruntled rooster did not want to be shooed, but after a moment, he ran squawking in. Swiftgold slammed the door and leaned against it for a second with a satisfied sigh. Sharra could clean up the rest of the mess and feed them later.  
Coming out of the bathroom, she saw in disgust that there was some chicken mess on the carpet and bedspread. Looking about the room, she spied the complimentary newspaper. Thanking God, she picked up the paper and separated the sheets, dropping some here and there in the room, then on the bedspread - _her_ bedspread, she noted sourly. The damn birds had probably targeted her bed on purpose.  
There was a knock on the door, and a call of "Room service."  
"Come in," she replied, placing the last paper down.  
A moment later a young man wheeled a cart in laden with breakfast delicacies. He stopped still, eyes goggling out of his head as he saw the lovely blonde in her skimpy, form-fitting nightshirt.   
Swiftgold stared at him, before looking down at herself. She eeped, and then grabbed up a blanket from Sharra's bed and held it up in front of herself, blushing prettily. Then, Sharra came out, wearing only a towel. She stretched a little, and the young man looked as if he were about to faint.  
"Sharra! Put some clothes on!" Swiftgold hissed.  
"Uh you can ah enjoy your breakfast!" Eyebrows raised at his nervousness, the older girl extended her hand with his tip in it. Snatching it up with a hasty bow, he retreated quickly.  
Sharra blinked. "I guess that's one way to keep 'em from noticing the birds, eh Swifty?" She gestured at the ducks, who had followed her out of the bathroom and were milling, randomly, at her feet. Gazing at the food, her eyes went big and shiny. So many breakfast delectables... all for herrrr! And Swiftgold.  
Swiftgold sighed at the look on her sister's face, then wheeled the cart over to the beautiful table and took out the elegant china they had included with the meal. It was amazing how the girl could eat so much and remain so model-thin. Of course, she herself had never had any problem with weight gain either.  
She piled the food on her plate, feeling quite hungry from the events of yesterday. Watching Sharra help herself to twice as much, and a disturbing amount of coffee, she found her thoughts wandering.  
This wouldn't have happened if Sharra hadn't insisted to going to speak to a Japanese mythology professor that came to their high school about her interest in Susano and Amaterasu. The professor had spied the pendant around her neck and said one of his coworkers at Shinsha University had one just like it in a similar style, as did her husband and their friends that he had met. That was what had gotten Sharra started on this whole crazy quest of hers. She had found a small lead and, like a bloodhound, was determined to sniff it out.  
Swiftgold herself wasn't sure about any of this. Maybe it was best to leave things alone. Then again  
"So, whatcha wanna wear today, Swiftsilver?"  
She received a dirty look for the nickname before her sister said thoughtfully, "The loose flowing skirt. You know - the silk one with the roses on the skirt. And flowing silk midriff shirt. The one that has the golden embroidery. Sandals too."  
Sharra snorted. "Fem. I'm going to wear my black jeans with the ripped knees, my black hiking boots, emerald green tank top, and my favorite leather jacket - the black one. Oh, and those fingerless black leather gloves."  
"Eehh you looking to get us arrested, Sharryu?"  
"DON'T do that! Stop with the Pokemon nicknames already!"  
Her sister smirked. "If that's what you want - Sharrmie."  
"AGHH!" Sharra counted to ten once, twice, three times. Erwin flapped up onto the table. _Hey - Erwie. Swiftgold wants to share her food with you!_  
A moment later, Erwin strutted over to her plate and began to peck at her bacon. "HEY!! YOU STUPID - GET OFF!!" she screamed, taking the phone book on the table and swinging it at him. The bird gave her a good peck on the wrist before flying over onto the bed. She growled, "I reallly have a craving for KFC."  
Sharra was quick to change the subject, deciding not to revel in her victory. "Okay - phone book. The professor guy gave us two names. Sanada Ryo and Mouri Cye."  
Swiftgold flipped open the phone book after casting a wary eye on Erwin. "Mouri, huh" A second later she reached for the phone and dialed in a number. It rang a few times, and she gnawed on her lip once or twice.  
"Hi-hi. Mouri Traci here!" a peppy voice piped.  
She wrinkled her nose in disdain. The bimbo must have been a cheerleader in high school. _They must have them in Japan too..._  
"Uh hiii is Mouri Cye there?"  
"Nope!"  
"Okayyyy do you know when he'll be back?"  
"Yep! He's at his restaurant right now! He'll be back soon! Ya want me to take a message?" There was the sound of gum snapping, and she winced. In the background, she heard a child giggling and the Barney song playing in Japanese. She shuddered.  
"Hrm could you give me the address of the restaurant? I really need to talk to him."  
"Oops! I have another call! Be back in a sec, m'kay?"  
Swiftgold sighed and held her head in her hands as she received a busy signal. Sharra stared at her expectantly, opening her mouth to say something. She held up a finger to her lips. There was a clicking, and she didn't know whether to be relieved or afraid.  
"So sorry 'bout that, dear. I was talking to the jewelers, I'm getting a replacement made for a pendant I had a long time ago."  
She went white as a sheet. _No no no no nooo!_ It was all she could do not to hang up the phone. "A--address, please?"  
"'Kay. Coming right up."  
With a shaky hand, she wrote down the address, then hung up the phone hard, trembling. Then, she looked over at her sister pleadingly. "Please - do we HAVE to go through with this?"  
"Well, duh."  
She sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that. Dammit." Banging her head on the table once, she stood up, went over to grab her clothes from the bags, and headed to the bathroom, kicking away at the poultry in her path.  
As Swiftgold left, Sharra gazed over at the phone. _Who was the other one? Oh yeah. Sanada Ryo. _She flipped through the book until she found the names. There were quite a few.  
At last, she saw it. Right there, in black kanji. Sanada Ryo. Quickly, she dialed the number, her fingers a blur on the numbered buttons.  
A moment later, a sultry feminine voice said, "Sanada's Exotic Bakery. Yes, we make penis cakes."  
Sharra's eyes went huge and her face bright red. "Um uh"  
"Tell me, what's your pleasure?"  
She hung up the phone hard. There was a large sweatdrop on the side of her head.  
Swiftgold blinked at her. "Why'd you hang up?"  
"Heh you're better off if you DON'T know. And I'm never going to tell you, let's just leave it at that."  
Swiftgold's curiosity was piqued, and she was about to press the issue, when Sharra gave her that LOOK, taught to her by her hippie friend, Seven Spears. Her real name was Pink Flower, but everyone called her by that nickname because her stare was said to pierce one like several spears. She shrank back, looking down at the table repentantly.  
As Sharra looked back down at the phone book, she saw that she had missed the number by one. Crossing her fingers, and hoping that she had better results this time, she dialed the number.  
To her relief, a calm, soft voice answered the phone. "Hello. Sanada residence."  
"May I speak to Sanada Ryo?" As an afterthought, she added, "Please?"  
The level-headed voice said, "I'm sorry, but he's at work right now. May I take a message?"  
Sharra sighed, "It's really important. Could you tell me where he works?"  
There was a hesitation on the other end of the line, and for a moment, Sharra wasn't sure that the woman, probably his wife, was going to give it to her. Finally, she said, "Toyama City Zoo. With the big cats."  
She took down the address, wondering why the woman was so cautious-sounding. Ah well, it didn't matter. Thanking the woman, she hung up. Glancing up at Swiftgold, she said, "Toyama City Zoo. With the big cats."  
Swiftgold muttered, "This Cye guy is a chef at some fancy restaurant. The Golden something or other. It had a really stupid name. You can have him."  
"But I want to go to the zoo!" Sharra protested.  
"Tough." Knowing Sharra and animals, she'd be there all day and they'd never get anything done. She watched her sister sulk, then smirked lightly. "Get ready, it's time to go look."  
"Fine," she mumbled. Gulping down what had to be her sixth cup of coffee, loaded with sugar and creamer, she stood, still sulking, and went over to her suitcase. 

***** 

"Mmm fooood" he murmured, breathing in the delicious aromas.  
Kento of the Hardrock leaned back in the plush chair, gazing about at all the nicely dressed people and tastefully decorated restaurant. Yes, being a food critic had its perks.  
A little impatient, he tapped his fingers upon the silk tablecloth. What was taking so long? He was getting hungry. He leaned over to speak to a passing waiter, when something caught his attention.  
A cloud of weird-smelling smoke.  
Blinking, he glanced over at the man who had just sat down at the table beside him. Then, he blinked again. The man had long gray hair with a rolled-up bandanna tied up in a band around it. There was a brightly colored shirt and a fringed vest upon his upper body. He wore John Lennon sunglasses, obscuring his eyes. Around his neck were a few pairs of love beads and a peace sign. Bellbottoms and Birkenstocks completed the ensemble. In his mouth was a joint.  
What in the freak was a _hippie_ doing in here?  
The hippie suddenly looked at him steadily. Why did he look so familiar? It was as if he had some type of aura about him  
Not wanting to be caught staring, Kento glanced down hurriedly. His cheeks were flaming from embarrassment. A hippie?? He hadn't even known they were still around! A flower child  
The hippie was still looking at him he could _feel_ it. He was about to ask him what his problem was when his cell phone rang. Pulling it out of his back pocket, he flipped it open and said, "Rei Fuan Kento, Food Critic Extraordinaire, at your service."  
"Kento? Sweety?" came the sickeningly peppy voice on the other end of the line.  
He brightened. "Candy! Honey bear! How are you?"  
"Hungry," came the petulant pout. "I haven't eaten in a whole _hour_!"  
Smiling at the thought of his wife, he remembered how they had gotten together. She had been one of the most beautiful girls in high school - a cheerleader. Rowen, Sage, and Cye had been dating her friends, also cheerleaders. They had introduced them, and Candy's love of food and great looks had instantly won him over. They had only grown to care more about each other when it was revealed she and her friends had armors of their own, as well as Mia, who became their leader.  
"Will you bring me something on the way home, pumpkin? I hear there's a new deli opening."  
As Kento talked with his wife, the man at the table next to him continued to stare in his direction. He leaned back in his chair and inhaled deeply, blowing out a ring of smoke skillfully.  
"Buh-bye, sweety," she said in her syrupy voice. "Hurry home!"  
"Love you, muffin. See you later," he told Candy, just as he spied the waiter bringing his order. _Perfect timing! _He snapped the phone closed and tucked it away, taking out his notebook and grinning happily as a wide selection of dishes was set on his table. Immediately he began to sample them, writing his impressions in his book.  
Reaching up to adjust his tie, Kento's fingers brushed the small pendant on a chain he wore under his shirt. After the Ronins and the She-Ronins had defeated Neo-Talpa, back in the early nineties, Mia had ordered a pendant with their armor symbols on them, one for each of them. He wore his often because Candy liked for them to match, and to tell the truth it was kind of a comforting reminder of his fighting past. It had been a long time since they'd had such adventures, and there were families to think of now.  
But for some reason, as he touched the pendant, it seemed to shock him slightly. His hand jerked away, and he looked up quickly. Instinctively, he turned to look at the hippie, who was definitely staring.  
Flushing a little in embarrassment, Kento snapped, "What? Haven't you ever seen someone eat before?"  
Much to his surprise, the man just stood up and walked out. Blinking, the Ronin stared after him. He certainly wasn't just _any_ weirdo, that was for sure.  
The hippie left the restaurant, turning down the street toward the bus stop. He had an old friend to meet 

***** 

Swiftgold glanced over at her sister in the seat next to her. She was snoring loudly in her sleep. She'd never known anyone who could sleep so much especially in this hunk of junk truck. _Hunk of junk truck, _she mused. That was almost a good rhyme thing, but not quite. She'd have to work on it a little.   
"Chickens" Sharra mumbled, rolling over.  
Rolling her eyes, she continued to drive down the highway - again - on the wrong side of the road! What ever happened to... _normal_ driving? Japan, England insane, all of them.  
"Herbert" she mumbled again.  
She sighed. Then again, when was anything ever normal? 

_ The man frowned as he walked past the kitchens. The servants were preparing the evening meal. Nothing out of the usual. But something seemed to be out of place.  
The rings on his staff jingled momentarily...  
"HERBERT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOUNG MAN?!" He realized in that instant that the out-of-place feeling was connected with his only son. Herbert. Praying to Kami-sama for strength, he stepped into the kitchens.  
"Yo, Pop!" Herbert waved.  
A muscle in his cheek twitched. "How many times have I told you not to call me Pop?"  
"I dunno, Pop. Want a joint?"  
His cheek twitched some more. "What's a joint?"  
Herbert ran a hand through his gray hair and pulled out a cylindrical object that looked rolled. "This is. Wanna light one up?"  
"Ancient One! He's trying to steal the evening meal!" fussed one woman. She gestured to the cage in one hand that he hadn't noticed previously. "Are you going to allow this?!"  
"Herbert..."  
"Yeah, Pop?"  
The Ancient One stared at the white rooster in the cage who was clucking irately and flapping his wings. He cocked his head to one side and warbled at the monk. His beady eyes sought the man's own shielded ones, and he stared back evenly. "What are you doing with the chicken?"  
Herbert lifted the cage above his head, crying, "I'm liberating the oppressed!" The chicken clucked triumphantly, flapping his wings all the harder.   
He sweatdropped. "Riiight... why don't you put the cage down now and..."  
Damn kid got nuttier and nuttier every day.   
"No way, Pop!" Herbert stated roughly. "I'm not letting you eat Erwin!"  
"Oh, dear gods..." he muttered. A headache pounded behind his temples. This was the heir to the powers of the Ancient One?  
"His name's Erwin, Pop. He told me so! And check this out, I made him immortal!"  
"YOU WHAT?!"  
"Brawwwk..." stated the rooster._

Sharra's eyes shot open. She peered over at Swiftgold, who eyed her, then went back to watching the road. She shook her head once, murmuring, "Cool dream." 

***** 

Erwin flapped about on the table, trying to frighten Fluffy Chicken away from the remains of a waffle. He had set his sights on the piece of food and he'd be damned if he would let any other bird have it! He opened his beak wide and let out an annoyed warble. Fluffy Chicken continued to peck at it, contentedly devouring the breakfast treat.  
He warbled again, then rushed at her as only an enraged rooster can. She cheeped in fright and flew from the table. Erwin gave a crow of triumph before pecking away at his prize.  
"Psst!" came the whisper. "Chicken dude!"  
Erwin clucked, head flying up at the sound of that familiar voice. The hippie was levitating in front of the window, long hair flapping in the breeze, love beads rattling. He let out a happy "Bawk!", jumped from the table, and rushed over to the open window. He continued to cluck excitedly, flapping his wings.  
"Whoa, cool it, Erwin!" Erwin clucked a few more times before becoming still and staring at the hippie solemnly. "Listen up, okay? He's coming back, and he's after them. You have to watch out for the babes, okay?"  
The chicken flapped his wings, warbling.  
"I know, I know!" the hippie said. "But they don't know about their powers yet! Man, they don't even know who their parents are!"  
"Bawwk!" Erwin hopped up and down a few times.  
Sighing, the hippie nodded. "This is going to seem totally cosmic to them. They'll think they're tripping or something." He reached into the pocket of his bellbottoms and pulled out a joint. A flame came out of his finger, lighting it. Bringing it to his lips, he inhaled deeply. Erwin clucked in agitation, flapping his wings. The hippie frowned. "I know they're bummer for me! Don't you ever quit buggin' me?! One thousand years and you're still bringin' me down!"  
The chicken warbled.  
"Yeah, yeah. Just keep your eyes open. We're just gonna have to go with the flow on this one. Man, it blows my mind." The hippie began to vanish. "Always remember this, though, my man. Ten flowers makes a mouse, but one flower makes a joint."  
Erwin cocked his head to one side, looking totally confused. "Bawwwk??" 

***** 

Sharra waved at Swiftgold as she drove off. Then, she turned and stared up at the sign proclaiming the name of the elegant restaurant. The Golden Clucker. What kind of a stupid name was that?  
"Golden Clucker?" she muttered to herself. "What the hell? I coulda gone to the zoo!"  
She sighed, straightening her leather jacket before pushing open the door of the swanky-looking restaurant. Wonderful smells filled her nostrils and she breathed in deeply, before realizing the scents smelt slightly off to her. Furrowing her eyebrows, she tried to brush past the snooty looking French waiter.  
"Excuse me," the waiter said, looking disdainfully at her attire, "can I help you, _miss_?"  
Who knew they had snooty French waiters in Japan?  
She tried to return his nasty glare. "I'm looking for Mouri Cye. I heard he works here. I need to talk to him, it's important." Unconsciously, she fingered the pendant around her neck, the gemstone glimmering in the elegant lighting. The waiter turned his nose up at her. Her cheeks flushed in annoyance at his superior attitude.  
"The master chef is working now. Come back later."  
Sharra growled at him. "I NEED to see him."  
"Come back LATER," the snooty man replied coolly.  
She raised a blonde eyebrow at him, suddenly smirking. Stupid old fart. Well, there was more than one way to skin a cat. "UNCLEEE CYEEEE!! HEELPPP!!" she screamed, pasting a terrified look on her face. "HE TOUCHED MEEEEE!!"  
The waiter's face went ghost white as the patrons of the restaurant turned to stare at him. His head whirled around to stare at the girl in horror, then back at the customers. He swallowed, trying to cover the girl's mouth with his hand. Unfortunately, this only made him look worse in their eyes.  
"Hentai," one of them said.  
"Monster!" another cried.   
Sharra bit his hand and he released it with a cry. She continued to scream hysterically. "PERVERT!! PERVERT!! HE PUT HIS HANDS ON MEEEEE!!"  
Suddenly, there was a roar of fury, and a muscular man came charging through the mass of tables and whispering people. His tie flapped about him madly as he charged towards the man. She blinked, then wisely jumped out of the way.  
The waiter screamed like a girl as the man tackled him with a loud "YAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!" He went down like a sack of manure beneath the assailant's weight.  
"No one touches my bud's relatives like that! Sicko! Pervert! Hentaiiii!!" the man howled, slamming his fist into the snooty man's jaw. The waiter sobbed as if he were an infant, begging for mercy.  
"I didn't touch the little delinquent! I swear! It's a lie, I tell you! A lieee!"  
Sharra stared at the man, running a hand through her blonde curls. "Whoa" _Serves him right,_ she thought wickedly. _I hope the big guy knocks his yellow teeth right out of his face! _"Wait bud's relatives?"  
Quickly, she rushed over and pulled the snarling - and _heavy_ - man from the waiter. The waiter whined and scrambled off, screaming about assault charges. The man grunted, turning to the young woman. "You okay, kid?"  
"Fine and don't call me kid." Watching him straighten his tie, her eyes suddenly widened as she saw the carnelian pendant around his neck.  
She was about to open her mouth to ask him about it, and how he might know Mouri Cye and more importantly, her parents, when a man with reddish-brown hair, wearing a goofy chef's hat, rushed out, screaming, "WHO TOUCHED VICTORIA!? I'LL KILL THEM!!" He skidded to a halt, staring at her. His face was flushed, and he was gasping for air. "You're not Victoria."  
She only stared back, stricken. There was a plucked chicken in his hand. A chicken. A dead one. That was what the smell on the air was. Chicken cooking.  
The husky one waved a hand in front of her face. "Hey, you okay?"  
Sharra only made a whimpering sound, tears filling her eyes. "C - chick"  
She fell to her knees, tears breaking free as she sniffled loudly. The pendant on the silver chain swung outwards a bit, and the reddish-haired man's eyes widened. He dropped the chicken. It landed with a squishy thud.  
"Where the bloody 'ell did you get that?"  
The husky one gave him a daft look. "Say wha'? Cyeee? Yo? Dude, whassup?"  
"Look, Kento." He pointed to the pendant. Kento squinted, before his mouth dropped open. What he saw was a bit unexpected.  
"Where'd you get it, kid?"  
Sharra looked up, brushing away the tears and managing to say, "It belonged to one of my parents. My sister has the other."  
"You're the daughter of--?!" Kento began.  
Her eyes took on a hopeful look, but Cye suddenly shushed him, gazing around at the crowd that had gathered, the people looking on at the scene as if it were some kind of staged play. "Let's go to my office," he said soothingly, "and we can take care of everything there." He bent to pick up the chicken, frowning at it. _Damn, perfectly good food gone to waste..._  
Sniffling, the long-haired girl stared at the at the _corpse_ he was holding, trying desperately to keep her lip from quivering. "Ah c'mon," the larger man said, putting an arm around her shoulders and turning her away from the awful sight, "it's this way. And hey," he said with a wink, "Cye's got those pastel dinner mints in his desk."  
She nodded miserably in response, letting him lead her past the kitchen's swinging doors. 

***** 

Swiftgold slammed the truck door hard, and winced as the whole thing shook. "Damn junky nineties cars" she sighed to herself, noting the elephant on the parking sign and stalking up toward the gates of the zoo.  
She liked cars, but not enough to want to work with them or anything. Sharra was more into that type of thing, always tinkering with the ones they had on the commune. Those weren't much better than the rental, sure, but when she'd turned sixteen Swiftgold had used some of her savings to buy herself a nice car. It barely had ten thousand miles on it. _And it's now just sitting there doing nothing,_ she thought, peeved. Oh well, at least it was a nice day, even if it _was_ the zoo. Full of big, stupid animals, and things she would most rather avoid stepping in. Plenty of screaming children and bored adults. Yes, a wonderful place the zoo was.  
Buying a ticket and soon after handing it to the too-happy ticket taker, she walked inside, ignoring the cotton candy stalls and other souvenir booths that lined the entranceway. All overpriced junk anyway.   
The first thing she looked for, and found, was a large map board. But as she gazed at it, she scowled. Too many kanji. She hated kanji. She could barely read it. The most she could read was 'cat', 'welcome' and 'must wear pants to enter the building'. Well, it was probably best to just walk around and find it that way.  
Pulling a copy of the map from the side holder, she meandered down a cement walkway. And another walkway. She glanced up at the animals from time to time, trying to figure out where she was from the map, but to no avail. Getting frustrated, she stamped her foot and spun around a little. "Dammit," she cried, forgetting to use Japanese, "this is stupid! What an incredible waste of time this place is!"  
Almost as if in response to her comment, a peacock strutting nearby made a loud, piercing cry. She jumped at the almost-scary noise, her eyes widening as the bird started coming her way, raising its large tailfeathers slightly. She noted sourly that if it were Sharra in this situation, the damn bird would most likely love her.  
"Okay," Swiftgold apologized, her face a little pink, "this zoo is all worthwhile, especially since I had the privilege of seeing _you_." She turned to hurry past, muttering, "Stupid oven-bait. You'd go great with some Stove Top, I bet." There was a horrible insulted squawk from the peacock, and she nearly ran to get out of the area.  
Who knew the peacocks in Japan understood English?  
There was a small building up ahead, and she moved toward it, intent on finding someone to help her find her way to the big cats. She flung open the glass door and suddenly stopped in her tracks. _Oh. This is the reptile house. _She walked warily past the displays, peering in a few here or there. Snakes and the like were interesting, but kind of creepy. A girlish shiver went through her.  
Motion up ahead made her quickly stop again, and she scowled, feeling like she was driving downtown during rush hour. The person up ahead straightened, turning around with a disgustingly huge snake draped around his shoulders like some mockery of a boa. Swiftgold looked at him curiously. From his appearance, he certainly was getting into his job. Very into his job, indeed.  
"Excuse me?" she said, and he blinked, seeming to see her for the first time.  
The man in the brown zoo uniform smiled, coming closer, and she raised a wary eyebrow at the snake. "Don't worry, he won't bite. Do you need something, miss?"  
"I'm kind of lost" As he reached for a copy of the map on the information desk, she held up her own and shook her head. "I can't read it too well," she muttered, a little embarrassed.  
"No problem, I know this place like the back of my hand. What area of the zoo are you looking for?"  
Swiftgold wondered if he'd had his hair dyed green before or after he got the job. "The big cats. I'm looking for a Sanada Ryo he does work here, right?" she asked quickly. If she was somehow at the wrong place oh, something would get hurt.  
"Ryo?" he said, surprised. "Sure he does. In fact, we're pretty good friends." _Hrm, I wonder what she wants to talk to Ryo for... well, it's probably noting special. Even so, I feel something weird about this. _Looking back at her suddenly, he said, "Hold on a moment. I can take you there myself." She nodded, and he turned to put the snake back in its cage.  
As the man walked to the other end of the building, she couldn't help but stare after him, smirking a little. He was pretty damn cute, even with the odd hair color and strange eyes. It was sexy, in an odd sort of way. _Stop that,_ she chided herself. _There are plenty of tight butts back in Kansas._  
But then she realized with a little shock that if they did find their parents here, would they even be going back to the States? At least, permanently? She was a legal adult, but their biological parents could probably get custody of Sharra if they tried hard enough, and she was not leaving her sister in a foreign country where they drove on the wrong side of the road and ate raw fish. Nope. No sirree.  
The zoo worker returned, snakeless, and she jolted herself out of her thoughts and put on a smile. For a moment both wondered what to say, until the man suddenly smacked his forehead. "Sorry," he apologized, "I'm so rude. My name is Sekhmet." He bowed to her, and she froze for a moment before holding her hands in front of her and doing the same, hoping she hadn't messed up.  
"I'm Swiftgold," she said. "Pleased to meet you."  
"Well," he began, "as soon as ah, good, here she is." The blonde-haired girl watched curiously as another employee entered, looking about furtively and narrowing her eyes. "I should be back shortly. Thanks for covering for me," he told her.  
The woman nodded, businesslike, straightening her nametag, which said, in no uncertain terms, with bold, red lettering, 'Zookeeper'. "The facility is safe in my hands," she stated with a salute. Swiftgold sweatdropped.  
"You didn't have to stop working or anything," she muttered as they left the building.  
He waved a hand dismissively. "I don't get a chance to do this often." She blushed at his attentive smile, following him down the mind-numbing maze of paths and through crowds of sticky, whining children and half-interested adults.  
The smell changed as they arrived in the large building with the felines - though it was thankfully not half as bad as the giraffe house. She looked around at the informational displays to amuse herself while her companion searched for what was hopefully the key to her past, and the possible ruin of her life. Whatever worked for Fate.  
"Hey, Ryo!" Sekhmet called, raising a hand.  
The dark-haired man, dressed in the same brown uniform and surrounded by an awed crowd of kids, waved back and wrapped up his talk. He ambled over to the two, a flurry of white motion near his legs. Swiftgold got a good look at what it was and jumped back, hiding behind the green-haired man. "Bwahh! That tiger's out of its cage!"  
Ryo laughed at her, waving a hand. "Whiteblaze is harmless," he smiled, and she sheepishly stood forward again.   
The white tiger was beautiful, with extraordinary brown eyes, and she tentatively patted his head, encouraged when he just sat there and acted like any other housecat. She loved cats. Briefly, the thought crossed her mind that he might be interested in a nice chicken dinner by the name of 'Erwin'.  
"So," the man said, looking at his friend, "what brings you here, Sekhmet?"  
"Ah," he said, "Ryo, this is Swiftgold. Swiftgold, Ryo." Expecting another bow, she was relieved when he merely reached out and shook her hand. "She was looking for you and happened to find me."  
_'Happened to'?_ he thought with a trace of the old suspicion, but shook it away. It had been years since they'd put down the Dynasty again. If something was going to happen, it would have already. "What do you need?" the handsome man asked kindly.  
She fiddled with her fingernails a moment before quickly explaining to him how she and Sharra had found his name in possible connection with their missing parents. "The professor said that you had similar pendants?" she asked, raising hers up for them to look at.  
Two sets of eyes went wide, and Ryo's hand automatically stole toward his neck where his own Wildfire pendant hung, the same color as his wife Mia's pendant of the Roses armor symbol. _That was right, she did have these made for everyone after the battle. But if the girl has one, from a parent, then that means..._  
"Um," he said, "just a moment, please?" He pulled Sekhmet aside, speaking in a soft, harsh tone. "Did you _see_ that?"  
"Of course I did," he said shortly. "Do you know what this means?"  
Ryo nodded. "Well, who else out of the sixteen of us is missing a pendant?"  
Sekhmet made a face. "How am I supposed to know? It's not Naeko; I just saw it on her the other day. But damn, look how old she is! This wasn't anything recent! And a sister? It happened _twice_, and we never knew?"  
"Yeah, really well Mia still has hers, she never takes it off."  
Swiftgold looked over at the two, who were deep in their conversation and oblivious to everything else. She sighed, glancing down at the tiger and scratching behind his ears as he leaned against her legs and got fur all over her skirt.  
Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her compact and checked her makeup, as always thankful that a lipstick had _finally_ been invented that didn't need to be reapplied all the time. Even so, it was time for a touchup, and she pulled out a tube of the metallic purple stuff, carefully applying it.  
The two warriors turned zoo employees stopped in mid-argue, staring over at her as she arranged her short blonde hair out of her eyes, snapping the compact closed. "There's no denying it," Sekhmet commented. "I mean, look at her."  
"I know," he responded, biting his lip. "Okay I'm going to make a phone call. Right now." 

***** 

_Mmm... mints, _Sharra thought, reaching into the bag and tossing several of the pastel goodies into her mouth. After a lot of sniffling, the exasperated master chef had finally given her the entire thing to keep her quiet. Ahh, she always got what she wanted. Heh. Life was good.  
Absently picking at her jeans and making the holes in the knees bigger, she stared up toward the front of the small electric sports car, watching Cye drive. Kento was slumped in the seat next to him, tapping his fingers against his cheek. Funny how she'd just met them but still felt comfortable enough to let them drive her somewhere. Well, they seemed trustworthy, and kind of, well, sweet. For adults. Besides she had mace.  
"So" Kento said, desperate to break the silence, "do you have any pets?"  
The blonde-haired girl growled a little at the driver. "Yes, they're chickens," she spat, "and a couple of ducks. Lulu, Houdini, Erwin and Fluffy Chicken." Each syllable was laced with venom.  
"Oh, holy hell," the sandy-haired man muttered, automatically checking his watch. Perhaps he should have left her at the restaurant.  
Sharra smiled at his reaction, also glad that their search was finally going to be over with. Cye had called around and arranged a meeting with their parents at Ryo Sanada's house. _Good thing Swiftgold found him,_ she mused, also happy that these two were able to take her there. Apparently they were good friends with her real parents, and their whole entire group had keepsake pendants or something. It was better than ID.  
The soothing sounds of the ocean were emanating from the minidisc player in the front, water apparently being one of Cye's favorite things. She shifted on her seat, trying to drown out the noise by humming. "Are we there yet?" she asked in a singsong tone. "Your ocean is making me hafta pee."  
"Don't worry," he replied quickly as Kento snickered, "there it is." He pointed forward, and Sharra looked, her mouth dropping open.  
"Damn," she drawled with a huge grin, "you didn't say he was _rich_" She rubbed her hands together gleefully as the adults exchanged looks. Oh, this was gonna be fun. 

***** 

Idly, she stroked Whiteblaze's fur, listening to the soothing sound of him purr as the large jeep sped swiftly along the country roads. She laid her head against his soft face, and he nuzzled her short blonde hair. Sighing, Swiftgold stared up ahead, peering at the back of Ryo and Sekhmet's heads. It was probably a dangerous thing to be riding with two strange men she didn't know, but this whole quest was dangerous! She was taking the final steps in revealing the secrets of her past, and she could only wonder if Sharra had the same luck.   
Swiftgold fiddled with her pendant, watching the play of the sunlight upon it. It glittered enticingly, and Whiteblaze leaned down and sniffed it, then looked up at her, bottomless brown eyes peering deep into her own hazel ones. She was a bit put off by that gaze.  
"So um are we almost there?"  
Sekhmet turned around and smiled at her a bit reassuringly. "Up ahead, the large manor. Ryo lives there with his wife. Her name is Mia; you'll like her, I think."  
She glanced back up to see said manor, and her jaw dropped. "My God, it's huge! Bigger than the main farmhouse!"   
The two men chuckled politely, almost indulgently. Immediately, she felt stupid at saying something so immature. A pretty flush stained her cheeks, and she rested her head against the window, peering out.  
She sat up straight again when she saw another car, a pale blue sports car, pulling up in a driveway ahead of them. She could barely make out a blonde head, and a hand waving at her.  
Exhaling a breath, she thought to herself, _So, Sharra found him._  
The jeep pulled into the driveway, and she stared up at the mansion with something akin to fear. She was poised on the edge of a precipice, and there was no turning back now. She was about to plunge right off the edge.  
Swiftgold rejoined her sister out in the large, spacious driveway. Sharra was so hyper that she'd bet one of those guys had given her some kind of candy. When she saw the bag of mints peeking out of her pocket, she knew she was right. _Damn, _she thought sourly. _Might have to get violent and threaten Erwin the Demon Rooster again._  
"Look at the size of this place!" Sharra said quietly, suddenly nervous. She reached down into her pocket and popped another mint into her mouth. Swiftgold sighed. Her sister looked at her sideways and asked, "You want a mint?"  
Yes. She was definitely nervous. She was offering to share her food.  
"No," Swiftgold said back, voice trembling a little.  
Each of the men greeted each other with manly slaps on the back, noogies, and other such male rituals. Cye in particular seemed to bear the brunt of this. With a long suffering expression, he submitted to the welcomes before giving out a few hugs of his own.  
"You sure?"  
"Yeah."  
"Really sure?"  
"YES!" Swiftgold snapped.  
Sharra stuck her hands in her pockets, sulking. "Fine," she mumbled. "Stupid chicken-hater."  
Ryo suddenly cleared his throat. "Well, let's not stand outside. Please, come in." He gestured toward the house, and Swiftgold nodded, nudging Sharra to move before her up the walk. She jerked her arm out of her sister's reach, pouting as she clumped toward the door.  
Discreetly, Swiftgold flipped her off when everyone had passed her. She had just lowered the offending finger, when a pretty brown-haired woman opened the door and stared at the group of people on her doorstep before turning to her husband. "Ryo, you didn't say we'd be having company. We've already got two other gues--"  
Ryo chewed on his lip. "Well, you won't really mind a few more for dinner, ne?"  
Mia sighed, "No, I suppose not." Then she smiled at them. "Hello, won't you come in?"  
"Thanks," Sharra said as she passed her. The woman nodded in acknowledgment. Both girls paused in the middle of the entryway, stunned at the size of the house. It was even larger inside than outside!  
"Huge" Swiftgold muttered.  
"Daaaaamn huge," Sharra whispered back.  
The woman, whom they presumed to be Mia, coughed, before grinning a bit sheepishly. "It's been in the family for quite a while. My grandfather left it to me upon his death." She bowed traditionally before them, hands in front of her. "How do you do, I'm Sanada Mia. Pleased to meet you."  
Swiftgold returned the bow, if not a bit awkwardly, and Sharra eyed her oddly for a moment before copying her. They stood by and watched as Mia familiarly greeted the other men with hugs and warm welcomes. They replied in turn. While this was happening, Ryo took them aside. "Those other 'guests' must be your parents. We'll wait here. Good luck."  
"Ryo?" Mia asked in confusion.  
He cleared his throat. "Mia, will you take Swiftgold and"  
"Sharra," the girl said.  
"Sharra to our other guests. Please?" At her look, he continued, "we'll explain everything to you while they're talking, I promise."  
She nodded, giving him a very odd look. "Okay, Ryo. This way, please." The woman gestured, leading them up a flight of stairs and down a hallway. "This is my study," she told the two nervous girls.   
She raised her hand to knock on the door, but Swiftgold reached out to stop her. "Um, can you give us a moment before we go in?"  
"Of course," Mia said with a friendly smile. She was all to ready to go downstairs and ask the guys what was going on, anyway. "Whenever you're ready, of course," she said, just nodding and smiling as if she understood what they were doing here in the first place, turning away.  
As soon as her footsteps on the stairs faded, Sharra whirled to face her sister. "Why are you stalling?" she hissed. "Our parents are in that room! Don't you want to meet them, finally?"  
"Well," she said, "they abandoned us, how do we know they'd actually care about meeting us?"  
"They're _here_, aren't they?" Sharra retorted, looking at the older girl. She actually appeared really troubled. Not as if she wasn't scared herself "Isn't it a bit too late to think of this now?" she asked, then sighed. "Well, okay, while you struggle with your issues, I'm going"  
"No, don't!" she cried as well as she could in a whisper.  
She grinned. "Calm down, I'm just going to listen at the door. Maybe we can find out why they gave us up at all." She leaned her ear against the wood, listening intently, and a moment later Swiftgold crouched down to see if she could discern anything through the vent.  
"It's been too long, hasn't it?" one voice asked, distorted, from the other room. "I mean, after everyone got married, we couldn't even begin to try and tell anyone anymore."  
"Yeah," the other one replied, the voice a little higher-sounding than the other's. "If only things were different, now."  
"I never wanted to give them up, you know but it was for their own safety. I only wish we could have gotten the girls back after the battle, without breaking anyone else's hearts"  
"You know I bet they still look just like you."  
"And I bet they still have your wonderful smile."  
There was a pause for a moment, and Sharra raised her eyebrows at her sister, who shrugged back.  
"Do you think they hate us for leaving them?" There was a little dip in this voice, like he or she was about to start crying.  
"No no, they won't. Not after we explain everything to them and to the others. It'll be hard to take, but we're going to be there for them, from now on."  
There was the sound of someone's nose blowing, and Sharra leaped to her feet. She felt kind of sorry for whoever it was. "I can't take this anymore," she said. "I'm going to explode. We have to go in there now!"  
Swiftgold nodded resignedly, getting to her feet and squeezing Sharra's shoulder once, as if to reassure her, or maybe herself. Taking a deep breath, the long-haired girl knocked - just to warn them, in case they were doing something embarrassing - and reached for the knob, turning it. The large door swung open. 

***** 

Ryo, Sekhmet, Cye and Kento sat in Mia's pristine living room as she went to get some tea from the kitchen, prepared to listen to their story of how the two girls found them through the pendants. Ryo had given her a quick summary, but the kettle started to whistle and she'd had to run to turn it off.   
They looked at each other almost disbelievingly. Who would have thought that two members of their group had had an affair? Twice, even?   
_Good thing we aren't fighting the Dynasty anymore, _Kento thought, playing with his tie, _'cause this would really screw up all our love and trust. _That had happened once before a few years ago when Sage and his wife Heather had gotten divorced. She'd had to give up her Armor of Sunlight when she left, and now it was without a wearer.  
No, it was an incredibly fortunate thing that no one had attacked them in the meantime. Ryo, too, was thinking back to that time. Kayura had never sat down and actually found the new Sunlight warrior they could only hope when she was found she and Sage would fall in love, completing their circle once more. It used to be so perfect, when all sixteen were together  
He shook his head as Sekhmet looked over at him. "So" he began. "God, two of us had kids so long ago!"  
Ryo nodded, running a hand through his hair. "How did she take it when you called her, Cye?"  
Cye frowned, leaning back with his arm along the back of the couch. "Huh but I didn't - I thought you did!" He cut himself off, his brow wrinkled in confusion as he tried to figure out what his friend and leader was talking about.  
Mia looked just as perplexed as she carried teapots and cups in on a tray, placing it on the coffee table. "You know, guys, I thought of something. What are you talking about, parents? Then who's the--"  
No one answered, and she too trailed off as they stared at each other. They stared, and stared, and then their eyes widened as if on cue.  
Kento finally put it into words. "Oh my God, you aren't saying" 

***** 

"Um, hi," Sharra said, poking her head in the door. "I'm Sharra, and this is my siste--"  
Her jaw promptly hit the floor. She tried to speak, but only a squeak came out. Then a type of choking noise. Promptly followed by a whimper.  
"Emily?" the blonde asked, one covered eye widening.  
Swiftgold stepped in a moment later. Her jaw, too, scraped against the plush carpeting. "W - wh - whaaa"  
The strong-looking man with wild blue hair and an odd scar over his eye stepped forward. He smiled, his soft expression uncharacteristic upon such a sculptured face. "Amanda? Gods, look at how much you've grown"  
"Oh my GOD!" Sharra blurted out.  
In unison, they both cried, "YOU'RE MEN!" 

* * *

Sharra: Betcha didn't see that one coming?? HUH?? HUH?? HUH?? whack Ouch! Swifty!  
Swiftgold: helpless laughter Believe me, it does NOT end there... we hope to keep you in the bathroom for many chapters to come! Please let us know what you think! 


	4. Part Three: Milk, Eggs, and Evasive Expl...

"Love Undying"  
By Amanda Swiftgold and She-Ronin 

Chapter Three - Milk, Eggs, and Evasive Explanations 

It had started out a normal day, but things were beginning to change for the worst. Hanging upside down in the slowly darkening sky, hidden amongst thick black clouds, an outline could be seen. Normally, the busy people in downtown Toyama didn't pay much attention to changes in the sky; Japan was a veritable hotspot of freaky weather. However, that day in the bustling Japanese city, there was not one person outside that did not stop to stare in awe at the shape of… 

…A giant rotisserie chicken… 

* * * * * 

Upon the elegantly carpeted floor of the palace, five extraordinarily handsome men stood in a neat square formation, the man in the center swathed in shadows and unable to be seen. Their fists were placed over their hearts in gestures of unfailing devotion as they stared straight ahead at a huge, elegant throne. Sitting upon it, on a red satin pillow, bright white in the darkness, was a gargantuan egg, power humming beneath its shell. Barely visible in the center of the egg was a dull ember of energy, easy to miss if you didn't know it was there. 

"Master Eggsecutioner, I have located two of the bearers of the armors. They have just arrived in Toyama, in the Mortal World," the one swathed in shadows said grimly, kneeling before the throne. His unique voice echoed throughout the large hall, hoarse and raspy. "Please, may I go down and capture them?" 

"No," the egg said simply, spinning in a complete circle upon its fluffy pillow. 

The shadowed man's head shot up. "But-" 

"Patience, my Poultrylord of Salmonella. I, too, know of the girls' arrival. Soon, soon we will make our move." No longer did the mysterious white object turn; instead, it somehow seemed to lean back so that its weight rested delicately against the padded surface of the throne. "That accursed hippie is watching out for them." 

There was silence for a moment, as they waited for their master to continue. When nothing happened, they relaxed a little. "Patience," the man closest to the center one said mockingly. His slanted amber eyes could be seen beneath his bright golden curtain of bangs, a perfect complement to the pearly white and glimmering gold subarmor he wore. "You have no patience, fearless leader." 

"Oh, please," the shadowed man hissed, opening his mouth to say something. However, all intended words flew away as a spitwad hit him in the back of the head. His hand automatically flew up to feel where it had hit, and if it had stuck in his hair. He whirled around. "All right, which one of you little bastards did that?!" He looked over at the blonde man furiously. "Was it you?!" 

"No." 

He looked back behind him, and glared at the three other men, one with long orange hair in a tail, another with a snowy white braid, and the final with long dark hair that touched his lower back. The white-haired man was holding something behind him, staring back innocently. It seemed like he was almost about to start whistling a little tune. The other two were snickering. 

He started towards the white-haired man, sneering. "Cockerel! How dare you?!" 

Raising a snowy-white eyebrow, Cockerel sent the straw behind his back skittering over to a dark corner of the throne room. Not hard to do, as it was properly decked out in shadows to begin with, except for the large chandelier over the throne. Their master hated ambient lighting. "Is there a problem?" he asked, flashing his perfectly aligned teeth. 

"You damn well know what the problem is! I'm going to teach you a lesson you'll never forge-" 

"POULTRYLORDS! ENOUGH!" The egg began to shake upon its cushion, teetering a bit dangerously. 

"He'll scramble himself!" the orange-haired man gasped, no longer finding the situation so amusing. He fell to his knees. "Forgive us, Master Eggsecutioner!" 

The others followed suit, echoing with repentant cries of "Forgive us!" 

After a moment, the egg stopped shaking. It almost seemed to be heaving with exertion. A small crack had appeared along the surface of its shell; however, the red glow flared up sharply and, with a crackling noise, the damage repaired itself. "Very well," it sighed wearily, "but don't do it again." 

"Yes, Master!" It was said in perfect unison; yet, if one were to look closely at the assembled young men, they would note twitching eyelids, sharp facial tics, and general glares at one another that promised revenge. 

"Cockerel, Golden Goose, Darkwing, Chickenthief - go forth to the Mortal World and search for the other new bearers… and _you_," the egg known as Eggsecutioner suddenly said to the shadowed man, "go forth and spy upon the other two. Serve me well, my Poultrylord." 

"Yes, my Emperor!" 

Once again, there was that flawless blending of their voices as each of them saluted in turn and stepped back into the shadows, fading from the throne room like phantoms. 

Left alone to its thoughts - not to mention the beautiful silence - Eggsecutioner chuckled and summoned the large viewing screen to appear before it. It was archaic, really, but there was something about the antiquity of the device that appealed. It was funny, the thought that Talpa _had_ been able to do something right during his three resurrections in the mortal world. 

_And now, to watch and wait,_ it thought to itself. The egglord let out a deep, masculine chuckle that reverberated throughout the room. "Soon," _he_ told the viewing screen, as if expecting it to respond, "Pinecone, you will no longer be able to protect your precious armor wearers! Then I shall have my revenge and rule the world!" 

* * * * * 

"You're… you're…" Sharra looked from one man, then to the other, and at last, back again. A split second later, her eyes rolled back in her head, and she hit the plush carpeted floor with a loud thud. Her heels went flying up in the air comically before slamming back down. 

Swiftgold cried out and knelt by her sister, fanning her with her hands. "Sharrcanine!" she said, hoping the annoying nickname would make her say something. It always had before, and though Swiftgold knew she'd pay dearly for the old Pokémon jokes later on, if Sharra awakened, it would be worth it. "Wake up! SHARRA!" 

"Emily!" the blonde man cried, rushing over to them both and falling to his knees on the plush carpeting. 

The blue-haired man just stared at them in shock, seemingly uncertain of just what it was he should be doing. He ran his hand through his unruly hair, the texture disturbingly similar to that of Swiftgold's. "Oh… I was afraid that would happen," he sighed. 

At the same time, four men and one perturbed woman came crashing through the doorway. "What the hell is going on?" Kento shouted, taking in the scene on the floor of the study. "It's too late for April Fool's now, anyway!" 

Ryo shook his head emphatically, tears suddenly sparkling on his lashes. "Is this some kind of joke? It's not very funny!" 

"What did you _do_ to her?" his wife questioned them, wide-eyed. She'd reflexively wandered over to stand next to Ryo, having placed a comforting hand upon his shoulder. "I thought you just dropped by to talk to Ryo when he got home!" 

"Cale…" Sekhmet mumbled, staring at his comrade. "With _Sage_? You used to hate him! Please tell me it's some kind of stupid prank." 

Sage sighed and looked down, holding a hand to his chest. Now his own eyes glimmered with unshed tears. "It… it's true, guys. Cale and I… we had an affair. We're their fathers." 

Cale hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder before pulling it away. The longing in the air was tangible, the others in the room suddenly feeling embarrassed and out of place at the hunger that radiated from them. Why had they never noticed it before? 

"But… but…" Cye stammered. "With _Sage_?" 

"I said that already!" Sekhmet snapped, tearing his gaze away from Cale. The faulty logic was mind-boggling to the former Warlord of Venom, and the fact that neither of them seemed to feel like explaining made it even worse! "Seriously, you two, I have to ask you something. It's pretty apparent that you're both… _men_, in case you haven't noticed. Men cannot conceive a child together! How on Earth-" 

"Look!" Cale cried sharply, pointing at one of the many windows in the mansion. "Do you see that?" 

Everyone, minus Swiftgold, reflexively looked over in the direction he was gesturing. There was a scrawny bird flapping around on the windowsill. It tilted its head at them and then flew away. When they'd turned around again, he'd already scooped up Sharra and left the room. 

Swiftgold stared blankly up at everyone else, who were all doing their fair share of blankly staring. "It… has to be true, doesn't it?" she said slowly. "I mean, this all started because of the pendants, didn't it?" She lifted hers up, looking at the jade lightning bolt that dangled from the chain. 

Sage nodded from where he was kneeling next to her. "Yes, that's mine," he admitted. 

Both Cye and Kento took a look at it, and their faces paled a little as they realized they could not deny it. "It could have been duplicated," Kento argued weakly. "It's amazing what counterfeiters can do nowadays." 

"Counterfeiters make _money_, Kento." 

"They can make other things, too! It's… you know, like a forgery." 

Mia shook her head, putting her hands on her hips. "Now, why would anyone want to do a thing like that? And what would the point be? They obviously aren't denying it, are they?" she lectured before angling a smile at Sage, who returned it a little. "Come on," she prodded, "this is hardly the welcome Swiftgold or her sister need right now after the shock of… of finding their parents." 

Swiftgold looked up at the woman through threatening tears and tried to smile. "Where did he go with Sharra?" she asked a little worriedly. 

"Probably just downstairs, Amanda," Sage said reassuringly, standing and hesitantly offering her his hand to grip. 

"So that was my real name, huh?" she muttered, taking her father's hand and letting him help her, although she pulled it away as soon as she was on her feet again. It was a little too early, and this a little too strange, for her to start trusting anyone here yet. 

Ryo sighed, looking out the window toward the balcony, although he wasn't really seeing anything. "Let's go downstairs," he said, "and we'll all have a nice talk." He turned his crystal-blue gaze over to his friend, sizing Sage up in a new light. He never would have expected it, never could have thought this up in a million years. 

The Dynasty may have made it hard for strange things to shock him anymore, but this! This took the entire cake and swallowed it whole. Any belief he had in any sort of cosmic order had just been completely and totally destroyed. But, being the leader, he'd be damned if he'd let anyone _else_ know how he felt. 

Once downstairs, everyone seated themselves on the lush furniture; Sharra sprawled out on the sofa with her sister sitting beside her worriedly. _Gyah. We should have stayed in America,_ the short-haired girl thought with a sigh. "So, how did all this happen? I mean…" 

Cale was sitting clear on the other end of the living room away from Sage, sandwiched between Ryo and Cye, who were staring at him with slack jaws. His cheek twitched in irritation. "It was a long time ago, just after we-" He paused for a second, glancing around at the others in the room. Well, what the hell? "-Saved the world. Or your father and his friends did." 

Sage flushed a little and looked away. _Don't look at him; he's still married, even if you're not! _"To make a long story short… we were superheroes, Ryo, Rowen, Kento, Cye and I." 

"Okay, you're joking now," Swiftgold said immediately. "I mean, I can accept - well, no, I _can't_, but this is just going way too far!" 

"I know it sounds strange," Mia said kindly, pouring a cup of tea and pushing it across the coffee table toward the befuddled American. "But it is the truth. I've studied the legends of the Ronin Warriors since I was, well, about your sister's age, Swiftgold, and my grandfather devoted his life to it. Several of the Ronins themselves sit here now." 

Her husband gave her a quick smile, sweeping a hand through his hair proudly. "And one She-Ronin, Mia. Don't forget your own power!" 

"Of course not," she replied brightly, "but that came later, after all. When Talpa returned." 

"You too, Mia?" the teenager said weakly. _I thought you were the sensible one here! _She looked down at her sister's sleeping face and was sorely tempted to poke her and wake her up so she had to sit and listen to all this too. "What kind of legends are you talking about?" 

Kento waved a hand briefly. "Well, there was the armor poem, wasn't there?" 

"The first one, yeah," Sekhmet agreed. "We - Cale and I - weren't in that one, though…" he explained to Swiftgold, who merely blinked at him, her face slack. "And there was the 'Rime of the She-Ronins' that came up later in files, too." 

"I was up for _two nights_ deciphering that one," Mia reminisced, her eyes distant and a little smile playing on her lips. 

Sharra stirred a little, stretching as if to unconsciously rub her eyes. "Armor… poem…" she mumbled, still out of it. "All you need… is love…" 

"Heeey?" Swiftgold got out, startled; she raised her hand from her sister's head to peer down at her quizzically. "Sharra, stop that." 

"Let her wake up naturally," Cye advised, holding out a hand when she moved to shake the other girl. "No need to give her another shock." 

She settled back, obviously unhappy, and in the silence that followed Sharra's voice kept on; she spoke slowly, as if repeating the words, and no one dared speak as they listened… 

"Testosterone floods… in the… sweat-reeking shower-stalls… remember that thing… with the Giants and the lawsuit? …Damn… the man! All together… now…" 

Cale sat up straight, sticking his elbows half-accidentally into Ryo and Cye's ribs. "Maybe we should wake her up anyway," he said worriedly. "That sounds like dangerous nonsense to me-!" 

Sharra smacked her lips sleepily. "Bubbling… in the tunnels of the heart…" 

Sage's eyes, however, grew even wider. He looked quickly at all the others, who had stunned expressions that showed they'd recognized it too. "But _that_ sounds like…" 

"Like what?" Swiftgold cried, half-frantic. 

Kento leaned forward, his round face solemn. "Like… the armor poem," he said portentously. 

Ryo jumped up, shaking his head hard. "It can't be!" he cried out. "Mia searched the computer completely! There are _no other poems_!" 

"Poultry-babe takes a… flying leap…" 

"Sharra, stop that!" Swiftgold said now, leaning down to shake her sister by the shoulders. Something felt tight inside her chest, a strange awareness that told her that, somehow, she ought to know what Sharra's unconscious words meant. "Stop it! They're - they're infecting you with their poems!" 

With a loud snort, the girl woke up, thrashing around before rolling off the couch and landing on the floor with a loud thud. She got up to her hands and knees, glaring up at everyone through her fall of long blonde hair. "Hey," she said loudly, "I LIKED that dream! Wait - why was I sleeping?" 

"Actually, you fainted. Because of… Dad," Swiftgold supplied helpfully, crossing her arms over her chest with a glower at the others. "And… uh, Dad." 

Both Sage and Cale looked down automatically, and Sharra fell back against the couch frame with a little squeak. Finally, she gazed up and challenged, "Why are you looking at me funny? I should be the one looking at you funny!" 

Swiftgold gave her a look. _And she hasn't even HEARD about the superhero stuff yet._

"You were talking in your sleep, dear," Mia answered gently. 

"Oh, no!" she gasped. "I didn't say anything about this hot wolf-guy who wanted my body and we had a kid who looks like Karl Urban, did I?" 

Silence. Finally, Sekhmet managed, "Uh, no. You didn't." 

The sixteen-year-old beamed, seeming to relax. "Thank God!" However, her face suddenly froze once more. "What _did_ I say?" 

"You seemed to be reciting a… poem, of sorts," Cye informed her. "Though I can't well say it's like any of the others, to tell the truth…" 

When she continued to look confused, Sage said quietly, "We were discussing legends, Sharra, of the Ronin Warriors and mystical armors. It has to do with our pasts-" 

"Oh. Oh, that poem!" she cut in. Sharra jumped up, taking a seat back on the couch. 

It was Swiftgold's turn to fall forward, nearly bruising herself on the edge of the coffee table and spilling the untouched tea from the cup. "You mean you knew what you were saying all along?" she shrieked. 

"Well, no," she argued back, pouting. "I can't remember the damn thing for the life of me. I just remember reading something about it back in Kansas, you know, when we were cramming on Japanese to come here." She sighed and shook her head. "Well, forget all that," she demanded. Her eyes fastened piercingly first on Cale and then on Sage, who both gulped in unison. "What I want to know is - okay, say you really _are_ our real parents. Why did you abandon us?" 

The two hesitated, staring at each other and then at the others. They seemed to share some kind of unspoken agreement, because directly after that, they told _everything_. 

They told how Cale and the other Warlords had come to the Mortal World to learn to live in the modern age, and how Talpa had arisen in a terrifying new form as NeoTalpa. They explained to the girls how the She-Ronins were found to fight the menace, and how the circle of love was formed as everyone discovered their soulmate and drove off the evil. 

But after that, they said, was when everything changed. Sage and Cale had met again at a fair, running into each other by the poultry show. They both wanted a funnel cake, but as both were short on cash, they bought one together. 

Something had happened over that fried pastry, and they couldn't stop thinking about each other. They met by the bantams until the fair had left town. 

"I KNEW-" Sharra cried out, but Swiftgold slapped a hand over her mouth, like the others listening to the story in complete and utter awe. 

Cale had gotten into a fight with the Kayura and left, and Sage had been out of town on the racecar circuit. They'd been together, unknown to their friends and spouses, for almost a year. 

The blue-haired man blinked away the memories and turned his gaze on his oldest daughter. "That's when you came into the picture, Amanda," he said delicately. 

"HOW DID SHE COME INTO THE PICTURE?!" Kento screamed out, but despite the volume of his demand, no one paid attention to it. 

Staring at his hands, Sage continued the story. He'd been married to Heather, the bearer of the Armor of Sunlight, but his long absences had taken their toll on the marriage, and they divorced shortly after. It was an amiable parting, but with one serious problem - Heather had given up her armor, and the circle of love was broken. If the Neo-Dynasty attacked again, they would be seriously weakened. 

Though Cale had returned to Kayura, he never forgot what he felt with Sage, and their love could not be denied. But soon after Sharra - named Emily by her parents - was born, the Neo-Dynasty did attack again. And, with the circle of armors weakened, the two could not allow their children to be used against them by the evil enemies. They decided to leave Amanda and Emily where they would be safe - with a commune of hippies in the middle of the Kansas plains. 

It was a long, hard struggle in the darkness of the Nether World, but in the end the Ronins and She-Ronins emerged victorious, NeoTalpa put to rest for good. 

Swiftgold's eyes grew big and round in her head, her hand flying up to her throat. Well, _this_ explained a lot! Yet, how could she believe all of this insanity so easily? 

Sage finally clasped his hands together and smiled shakily. "So, when NeoTalpa came back, we had to do what was best for you and Emily - don't you see? It's not that-" 

"I don't see, blast it!" Sekhmet interrupted roughly. "You're going to have a lot of explaining to do to Kayura! And… and… you're men!" 

"Said that already," Sharra remarked helpfully. The green-haired man scowled at her, but she beamed back at him, unconcerned. So, maybe this was a little unconventional; they'd still found out who their parents were - and a lot more in the process! Wait until the hippies back at the commune heard about _this_. "But…" She eyed her fathers warily for a second. Swiftgold nodded over at her, wanting to know just as much as everyone else _how they had come into existence_. "…While we're on the subject…" 

Cale suddenly clapped his hands, giving Mia a curt nod. "Would you mind too much if the girls stayed with you for a few days? They shouldn't stay at that hotel, you know, but I…" a grimace, "need to talk to Kayura and the children about all this." 

"-You're dodging the question-" 

Scratching her head in confusion, Mia gave her husband a baffled look, and was met with a blank nod she took as his agreement. "Um… okay?" 

* * * * * 

"That's one odd weather balloon today, mate!" 

Darkwing sat, his armored legs dangling over the edge of the school building, and let out a cold little laugh. The group of exchange students standing directly beneath him gazed up at the floating mass of rotisserie, so stupidly unaware of the doom that was hovering above their heads. "That's right," he muttered under his breath smugly, "it's just a weather balloon." 

He glanced over the mass of teenagers pouring out of the Han'a High School building, trying to pinpoint which of them had that special power within their bones. _Now, where is it? That power… _It was so near, and he could almost _taste_ the magic on the tip of his tongue - the power of Calcium. 

Darkwing frowned and began to swing his legs back and forth, absently taking a sip from the milk carton he was holding in his hand. "This is a really stupid assignment," he 'told' the chicken-palace hovering thousands of feet in the air. The other Poultrylords were probably talking about him while he was away, on top of it all. 

Suddenly, the milk carton fell from limp fingers, his head flying up and eyes widening in shock. The cardboard container hurtled towards the ground and splattered its vitamin-rich contents all over the pavement. A few droplets of milk rolled across the ground and stopped suddenly at the feet of a passing student, soaking quickly into the concrete. 

The girl looked up at him and smiled slowly, dark hair flowing gracefully around her in the gentle breeze. "You shouldn't," she breathed, "put good dairy products to waste that way. Just for that, I'm going to have to _kick your ass_." 

"_Bring it_!" he roared back, and flew into the air. Black metal wings unfolded impressively from the back of his armor as the European swooped towards her with a battle cry. 

Her shining hair whipped around her face, and she bared her teeth in a defiant snarl, light surrounding her body entirely as clothing shredded- 

And the girl crouched there in her yellow subarmor, smashing her foot down on the milk carton. "Let's do this," she taunted. "I have to be home to milk the cow before dinner." 

Air whipped past her head, and she rolled away from his dive, kicking up into the air at the same time so that her boot hit his chin. Darkwing cried out in pain and tumbled onto the pavement, off-balance and unable to complete his graceful attack. He skidded along the ground and almost hit a passing student in the process. 

The uniformed boy frowned at him. "Watch it!" 

"Little… shit," the Poultrylord grunted, clenching his fists tightly. 

The subarmored girl watched with narrowed eyes at the sight of gleaming spikes sprouting from the knuckles of his gauntlets. _Have to be careful of those. I don't have medical insurance - not that I'd lose or anything. Or maybe I would. God, I hate my life. Why did I step on that milk carton? _She screeched and ducked under his fist, slamming his head with the back of her arm. _This-is-so-stupid. I have a cow to take care of! And… and… how can I do this? Am I meant to do this? Maybe I'm just crazy…_

Darkwing went flailing all over again, but managed to stop his fall by catching the tip of his spikes along the street. 

She brushed sweat from her forehead and bit her lower lip with a hiss. _Those things look sharp… but I'm a champion martial artist! There's no way I can lose to a poser with a set of wings. I refuse. I've got the power! Better pick up some milk from the grocery store on the way back. …Wait. I'm lactose-intolerant. Damn it. Maybe I'll just go to bed. Alone. Always… alone. Unless that weird old man shows up again. Who is he? What is he? Did he skip out of rehab again?_

The hand came flying towards her again, and she caught Darkwing's fist with her own, her wide eyes gazing deep into his. The spikes had pierced deep through her palm and come out the other side. "Hurt?" he mocked. 

"N-no," she lied, tears pricking behind her eyelids. Yeah, it really _did_ hurt; blood was running along her hands and even down into her subarmor. Stupidly, all she could think of was that she was going to lose to a man who had metal wings constantly flapping up and down behind him, like a bird's, yet he wasn't flying now-! 

Darkwing grabbed a handful of her hair roughly and laughed before yanking the spikes out of her hand and slapping her roughly across the face. She whimpered at the taste of blood in her mouth, yet found the strength to glare defiantly at him as his fingers closed around her throat. "Now," the man grinned, "let's get you back to Master Eggsecutioner so I can get my spring bonus…" 

"Over here, flappy metal dude!" 

Darkwing, great warrior of the Rotisserie Club-Dynasty, whirled around, still holding onto the struggling girl - only to catch sight of a tanned hippie ass less than ten feet from where he was standing. "Good God! Pull your pants up!" he roared, tossing the lady warrior aside. 

She landed on her back and grunted. Thankfully, she'd missed the sight of the mooning individual shaking his butt tauntingly at her attacker… 

"You're violating my freedom of speech…! All I can say is…" the gray-haired hippie's lips parted into a sneering smile, and one could almost imagine a picket sign in his hand if he wasn't bent over with his pants around his knees, " 'damn the man'!"


End file.
